“Stand still, sit still and be still.” ~Warren Wiersbe
Have you ever felt you were in such a hurry to get something done that you did everything you could do to accomplish your goal only to find that, to no fault of your own, you had to wait for a situation to resolve itself or wait for something else to happen over which you had no control?
Or have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam at the most inopportune time? I mean, “going no where fast!”
Ah, it is times like these (and many others) where we must exercise patience.
In our marriage relationship we have ample opportunity to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, patience.
Could you be more patient in your marriage relationship? If we are all honest, I am sure all our hands are going up right now affirming that more patience could be helpful!
I have come to the conclusion that most of my problem with exhibiting patience revolves around my love of self.
There I said it. My flesh wants what it wants AND it wants it NOW.
However, there is good news for me (and you). I don’t have to live according to the flesh.
In fact, John reminds us, in his gospel, that Jesus has been given authority [by God, the Father] over all flesh. (John 17:2)
All flesh. Mine, yours, and our husbands’. All flesh.
This is good news. I can walk confidently in the Spirit, for in Christ I am a new creation. I am no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit.
Paul puts this good news like this:
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11 (NKJV)
We are alive in Christ. We have not yet arrived to all that we will be in Him, but we are being refined and transformed into His image.
Lately, it has become clear to me that patience goes hand in hand with waiting.
I guess that should be obvious as waiting certainly takes patience. Waiting in line, waiting on the post office, waiting on the doctor to give test results, waiting to hear about that elusive job, waiting for the Lord to move on your behalf, etc.!
God’s Word is full of verses about the virtue of waiting on the Lord.
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Psalm 39:7
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. Psalm 130:5
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:25
The author, James, explains an interesting thing about patience.
James writes that patience is produced by the testing of our faith.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 (NKJV)
Waiting is certainly a test of my faith but, hallelujah, I can wait with Hope in the Hope-Giver. Waiting for the good from Him as I wait on Him.
Waiting and patience. Yes, I choose today to hurry up and wait so that I have the crop of patience.
Maybe you are at a place in your marriage where you need more patience. Wait on the Lord. Allow Him to refine your faith as you look forward to the blessing of patience for patience will have its perfect work. And you will lack nothing.
Now, hurry up and wait upon the Lord!
Waiting with you,
~Kim
Love that, hurry up and wait on the Lord!! Waiting on anything else can make me nervous, grumpy, and tired, but waiting on the Lord always renews my strength.
When I look at anyone, my husband, or my children and compare that to where I think they should be I can lose patience. But, as soon as I compare that to where I should be before the Lord, it straightens me right out. The key for me is keep logging in my own eyes and leave the toothpicks to the Lord.